Is Cannabis Delivery Available in Your Colorado Neighborhood?

by AAAeCommerce Inc CollaboratorApril 06, 2020

Is Cannabis Delivery Available in Your Area?

Have you ever been sitting at home on a gloomy day, wishing you had some weed, but just not feeling like getting up, getting dressed, and going to the dispensary? Have you ever been too busy to go to the dispensary? Too sick to go to the dispensary? Too far away to go to the dispensary? Well, a solution may be on the horizon.

In late 2019, Colorado lawmakers began a two years process to provide dispensaries with licensing that will allow them to make cannabis deliveries first to medical patients, and later to recreational customers. Basically, the dream of ordering weed right to your door is about to come true! Sort of. Keep reading for the full scoop on cannabis delivery in Colorado:

The Long Road to Delivery Permits

HB19-1234 passed both the Colorado House and Senate in late April and early May of 2019. The bill establishes a two-year plan to license marijuana centers, stores, and transporters to deliver cannabis products to both medical and recreational consumers. Passed with influence and support from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers, cannabis delivery permitting was set to start January 2nd, 2020.

Dispensaries interested in offering delivery to their customers must individually apply for delivery permits which must be renewed yearly. Current projections estimate that around 174 delivery permits will be issued within the next two years, first for medical delivery, then for recreational. To help ease the two-year transition, HB19-1234 also includes instructions for vendors to implement delivery training programs to ensure proper protocol is followed.

Now, a few handfuls of Colorado cannabis centers hold delivery permits and have begun toting marijuana products to medical patients around the state. For now, only medical patients will be able to order cannabis products for delivery, but recreational delivery is set to roll out in January of 2021. As the new program grows, changes may be made, but so far cannabis delivery is well underway in Colorado.

Purchase Limits for Medical Patients

A clause within Colorado SB19-224, passed in 2019, has left some medical marijuana patients feeling frustrated. While focused on a wide variety of cannabis topics, SB19-224 also included a clause limiting the amount of marijuana medical patients would be able to purchase in a single day. While recreational users saw no change to purchase limits with the bill, medical patients are now limited to 2 ounces of flower, 20 grams of concentrate, and 20,000 milligrams of edibles.

While this limit may not seem too restrictive, many medical patients have stated that they are unable to regularly visit their dispensary, and worry that they will be unable to purchase adequate amounts of cannabis products to keep them supplied between visits. Medical patients with limited mobility, mental health conditions, lack of transportation, or living in areas without readily available dispensaries will no longer be able to stock up on cannabis products, forcing them to make more frequent visits whether or not they are able to.

The Benefits of Cannabis Delivery

Cannabis delivery is more than a stoner dream, although we have to admit, getting some weed with your pizza is sort of the dream. Cannabis delivery will actually solve a lot of problems for dispensaries and customers alike and could help reduce marijuana-related crime.

Medical Patients

Medical patients will, of course, be the first to benefit, since HB19-1234 allows only medical patients to receive deliveries before January 2021. While all medical patients will benefit, those that have been negatively impacted by purchase limits enacted in SB19-224 will regain the access they once had. Rather than being forced to make frequent trips to dispensaries to stock up on cannabis products, medical patients will be able to order products directly to their homes, eliminating the need to leave home, drive, take public transportation, and so on.

This change will be immensely helpful for patients suffering from mental conditions like PTSD, anxiety, or traumatic brain injury, and for those with limited mobility. Medical patients with autoimmune disorders, underlying conditions, cancers, and other chronic and life-threatening illnesses can use delivery to avoid exposure to the public and possibly infectious diseases, and individuals limited by age, income, and location may also be able to utilize delivery to readily gain access to cannabis products.

Recreational Users

While recreational users won’t be able to place an order for cannabis until January 2021, chances are good that by the New Year, the entire system will be a whole lot better. Delivery for medical patients has been going fairly well thus far, and the prospects are promising as far as rolling out mass delivery options in 2021. While recreational users will need to wait a little longer, it’ll be worth it to not be the guinea pigs and enjoy seamless, easy to use delivery.

Impact on Crime

By putting a legal framework in place for marijuana delivery, Colorado lawmakers are hoping to see a decrease in drugged driving, black market activity, and general cannabis-related crime. The changes to cannabis law will also help to bring in more tax revenue for the state, helping to fund public works, help local law enforcement, and discourage individuals from using marijuana immediately after pickup from dispensaries and on the way home, instead waiting for the cannabis to be delivered to them in the safety of their own home.

How Cannabis Delivery Will Work

For dispensaries and cannabis centers, delivery permits are already well underway, but if you’re a medical patient, how can you access delivery services? Here’s the skinny on everything you need to know when it comes to ordering your weed for delivery:

Restrictions

Though cannabis delivery will be up and running for all marijuana users in Colorado come 2021, there will still be some restrictions, which also apply to medical patients currently enjoying delivery services. Firstly, patients and recreational users will be limited to one delivery per day, and are limited to private residences. This means that cannabis cannot be delivered to college campuses, even if the recipient is over 21.

Only customers residing in jurisdictions that have voted to allow cannabis delivery will be able to enjoy the service. All Colorado jurisdictions will be able to opt-in or out of the new policy, even those that do not currently allow dispensaries.

Pricing and Fees

While prices for cannabis products should not be affected by HB19-1234, all deliveries must include a $1 surcharge to be paid to the dispensary’s local municipality. If the area in which the center or store is located is unincorporated, the $1 surcharge will be paid to local law enforcement to marijuana-related enforcement costs.

Delivery Areas

As mentioned, any Colorado jurisdiction will be able to participate in legalized cannabis delivery, but are not required and will not be penalized should they choose to be exempt. While registration for medical delivery is now available to all Colorado jurisdictions, each will be required to opt-in or out for recreational delivery come 2021.

For now, here are some of the businesses now offering medical cannabis delivery in Colorado:

My Guy Deliveries

My Guy Deliveries is a mobile cannabis delivery service that delivers to Aurora, Denver, and Denver Tech Center. Delivery fees are determined by the weight of your purchase, and My Guy Deliveries lists simple flat-rate pricing that includes delivery fees and taxes, so there’s no mystery to what you’ll pay when you order. Flat rate pricing for some products from My Guy Deliveries are as follows:

⅛ oz flower - $50

1 g wax - $45

100mg THC gummies - $45

250mg 75% disposable pen - $45

The Chronic Courier

The Chronic Courier is a cannabis delivery service that delivers to the Denver Metro and surrounding areas. The Chronic Courier delivery fees start at $20 and vary based on purchase amounts. Want a detailed quote before you order? No problem, give The Chronic Courier a call to discuss your order and learn more about delivery fees. The best thing about The Chronic Courier is that they operate 24/7, so whether you run out of weed at 2 pm or 2 am, they’ve got your back.

Native Roots

Native Roots is Colorado’s first dispensary to acquire a delivery permit, and is now serving Boulder and Superior! Native Roots offers a super reasonable $5 delivery fee, but if that’s stopping you from trying the service out, don’t worry: they wave delivery fees for your first three orders. Native Roots offers cannabis delivery Friday-Sunday for orders placed before noon. Once your order is in, your delivery will arrive between 1 pm - 5 pm the same day.

Weed on Wheels

Weed on Wheels is a dedicated cannabis delivery service delivery to the Denver Metro area right now! With Weed on Wheels, you’ll never need to pay delivery fees, but you will need to meet the $100 minimum order requirement, and you’ll need to pay in cash when your cannabis arrives. Weed on Wheels offers super quick delivery times of 45 minutes to 1-hour Monday-Friday, depending on weather and traffic conditions.

How Colorado Stacks Up

Colorado is by no means the first state to adopt cannabis delivery, but how does The Centennial State stack up in terms of cannabis delivery policies in other states? Here’s how the rest of the country is approaching cannabis delivery:

Arkansas

Unlike many states, the legal age to consume marijuana in Arkansas is 18, not 21. Cannabis delivery is available to all medical patients, but must be delivered by the dispensary directly and not from a third party.

California

Cannabis delivery is legal everywhere for medical and recreational users alike. Customers must be 21 and present ID at the time of delivery, but deliveries are permitted everywhere to qualifying buyers even in areas that have banned cannabis sales.

Illinois

Like Arkansas, Illinois law allows all medical patients to receive marijuana delivery directly to their home so long as it is delivered by the dispensary directly and not by a third party.

Massachusetts

Medical patients can easily get their weed delivered, but recreational users aren’t quite as lucky in Massachusetts. Luckily, regulations surrounding “gifting” of marijuana products are only loosely regulated, and some dispensaries have begun selling non-cannabis products, like t-shirts, as a placeholder for cannabis. Basically, when you order a t-shirt, your delivery driver will also show up with some “free” weed.

Oregon

As long as you are over 21 and order between 8 am and 9 pm, you can get medical or recreational marijuana delivered in Oregon! Deliveries can only be made to private residences, not dorm rooms, hotels, motels, or businesses, but as long as you’re ordering from home you’ll barely notice any restrictions.

Cannabis Delivery During COVID-19

Though not intended to be a response to the novel COVID-19 outbreak late 2019, Colorado cannabis delivery services may well be helping to stop the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus. Transmittable through aerosols or liquid droplets, COVID-19 can be transferred by something as simple as talking, necessitating extreme caution from individuals globally.

Due to COVID-19, most states, including Colorado, have issued orders for residents to stay indoors unless leaving for absolute necessities. Non-essential businesses like restaurants, bars, and movie theaters have been closed, and people are discouraged from meeting in groups of 6 or more. Essential resources like the post office, doctor’s offices, hospitals, and grocery stores will remain open, but people are encouraged only to use them when absolutely necessary.

Included in the list of essential businesses are medical marijuana dispensaries, though recreational cannabis sales have halted for the time being in Colorado and other states. Though medical patients are still able to purchase marijuana, pre-orders and curbside pickups are being strongly encouraged. Delivery may provide an even safe method for medical patients to acquire cannabis products, completely removing the need to leave the house or come in contact with anyone else in order to purchase weed. With social distancing firmly in place, now is sort of the perfect time for Colorado to really put cannabis delivery to the test.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest in Colorado cannabis news? Follow the Klone Colorado blog to learn more, and discover new information about the colorado cannabis industry.